What a great weekend…and it is only Saturday night!

First – I got to spend a lot of time yesterday with my friend, Bobbi Jo. We have a good time when we’re together and I always laugh a lot around her.Then – last night was Christie’s Panty Party. It was less about embarassing her with lingerie for she & Andrew (though we certainly did and with lots of laughs) and more about getting to celebrate my really, really close friend before she gets married. This is such a special time and I’m so excited for her. I wanted to make her feel special last night and I think we accomplished that. Thanks to our friends who came out to shower Christie with laughter & lingerie.
Overnight was not pretty since Ella isn’t sleeping well and she & I were up battling it out between 11:30 pm and 2:30 this morning.

BUT – I woke up at 7:30 this morning next to my beautiful baby girl. Then – I got to get ready and head out to breakfast with my friend, Melissa – who I feel like I never get to see and we used to go out at least once every weekend when she & Jay first moved here. It was so wonderful to just sit with her and chat for a couple hours in a local coffee shop. So needed!

Then, lunch today was a celebration of mine & my dad’s birthdays. My grandmother, great-aunt, and aunt came in town from Newport News to eat with Dad, Mom, Jeff, Ella & Me. We had a good time and Ella got to show off a bit. After lunch we went back to mom & dad’s apartment and hung out while Ella really showed off how much fun she is to be around. So good to have Ella spend time with her GG, EE & Aunt Carla.Tonight, we went to Jeff’s parents for dinner in a late celebration of Jeff’s mom’s birthday (Feb 3). It was great since all three boys (Jeff, Jerry & Gabe) were all able to be there with no schedule conflicts. Kristen & I were there, too, but the most fun is watching Nana and Papa interact with their two grandkids. We were all together.

It has been a great two days and tomorrow is lining up to be fantastic too…I actually get to go to church at United tomorrow. I feel like it has been a lifetime since I’ve been there and for me it has. The last time was January 24. Church was snowed out the 31st & February 7 and then Jeff & I were away last weekend (Feb 14). I can’t wait to hear my dad preach. He is my favorite minister…and it isn’t just bias. I feel that he preaches from the heart to the heart and I love that about him. Tomorrow’s theme: God as our shepherd. So excited!Then tomorrow night is my book club meeting. I haven’t posted about book club before…not sure why not except I just post so little…Tomorrow night we’ll be discussing the book, The Help. It was a GREAT book that I recommend to anyone interested in a fiction story set in a all-too-real 1960’s segregated Jackson, Mississippi. I had to remind myself that Mae Mobly and Aibileen weren’t real people. Oh, little MaeMo – your nanny Aibileen loved you. It has been a month since I read the book and I can’t recall what MaeMo called Aibileen in the book, but it tugged my heart strings. SUCH A GOOD BOOK.

I’ll have to do posts on the books I read since I have become a voracious reader. I read the bookclub book and then find as many other books to read in the remainder of the month. I can’t stop and I love it. I’ve also found that I’m currenly very drawn to stories (fiction & non-fiction) set during the 60s that focus on segregation and integration. I find it fascinating…okay – that is another post too.

Well – that’s it. It is a great weekend and I just found the desire to share that with you. Thanks for reading!